Chinese Cabbage: The “King of Vegetables” – 7 Health Benefits & 7,000 Years of History

Chinese cabbage is an indispensable vegetable in people’s lives. It is delicious, nutritious, and known as the “king of vegetables.”

Chinese cabbage is native to China with 7,000 years of cultivation history

Chinese cabbage is a vegetable native to China with a long cultivation history. According to archaeological evidence, cabbage seeds discovered at the Banpo Neolithic village site in Xi’an date back approximately 6,000 to 7,000 years. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen quoted Lu Dian’s Pi Ya: “Song (cabbage) withers late in winter, appears in all four seasons, and has the resilience of pine, hence it is called ‘song’ (which sounds like ‘pine’); today it is commonly called baicai (white vegetable).”

In the 19th century, Chinese cabbage was introduced to Japan, Europe, and the Americas. Today there are many varieties. In northern China, there are Jiaozhou Chinese cabbage (Shandong), Beijing Qingbai, Northeast Dwarf cabbage, and Yangcheng Damaobian (Shanxi). Southern varieties were introduced from the north, including Wujinbai, Can cabbage, Jiguanbai, and Xueliqing – all excellent types.

The seemingly ordinary cabbage is rich in nutritional value

Chinese cabbage contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, carotene, dietary fiber, lignin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and more. The protein and vitamin content in cabbage exceeds that in apples and pears, and its trace element profile is also outstanding – its zinc content is higher than in most vegetables, meat, and eggs. It is no exaggeration to say that cabbage is an extremely nutritious everyday vegetable and a treasure trove of essential trace elements. As the saying goes: “No other vegetable compares to cabbage”; “Winter cabbage is as delicious as bamboo shoots.”

When cooked with meat, cabbage enhances the meat’s flavor and reduces nitrite levels in the meat. Another saying goes: “Pork is the finest meat; cabbage is the freshest vegetable.”

According to nutritional analysis, per 100g of Chinese cabbage contains: water 95.14g, protein 0.86g, fat 0.1g, carbohydrate 3.9g (including dietary fiber 0.94g), vitamin A 13mg, carotene 80mg, thiamine 0.03μg, riboflavin 0.04mg, niacin 0.4mg, vitamin C 28mg, vitamin E (T) 0.36mg, calcium 35mg, phosphorus 28mg, potassium 90mg, sodium 48.4mg, magnesium 9mg, iron 0.6mg, zinc 0.61mg, selenium 0.39μg, copper 0.04mg, manganese 0.16mg. It also contains 34mg of isoleucine, 55mg of leucine, 46mg of lysine, and 28mg of sulfur amino acids.

Cabbage best embodies the unity of food and medicine

The Qing Dynasty Supplements to the Compendium of Materia Medica records: “Cabbage juice is sweet, warm, and non-toxic. It benefits the intestines and stomach, relieves chest irritability, quenches thirst from alcohol, promotes urination and defecation, harmonizes the middle, and stops coughing.” It adds that “winter juice is especially good.” When decocted with scallion whites, ginger, and radish, it can treat colds. When mashed, heated, and applied externally to the epigastrium, it can relieve stomach ailments. Cabbage root combined with honeysuckle and purple-backed duckweed, taken as a decoction or mashed and applied to the affected area, can treat skin allergies, especially facial skin allergies. Raw cabbage juice and raw radish juice taken internally can also treat gas poisoning. The specific health benefits are as follows:

Anti-cancer

Chinese cabbage contains a compound called indole-3-carbinol, which promotes the production of an important enzyme in the body that effectively inhibits the growth and spread of cancer cells. Among cancer-preventing foods, cabbage ranks second only to garlic. The trace element molybdenum in cabbage can block the formation of nitrosamines and other carcinogens in the body. Cabbage is also rich in vitamin C, which has strong antioxidant properties that prevent the formation of carcinogens and inhibit cancer cell reproduction. Scientists at the New York Hormone Research Institute found that the lower incidence of breast cancer among Chinese and Japanese women compared to Western women is partly due to their regular consumption of cabbage. Certain trace elements in cabbage help break down estrogen linked to breast cancer.

Modern medical research shows that cabbage has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, clearing lung phlegm, stopping cough, and relieving wheezing. Experiments have shown that 85% of cold patients who drink 500 ml of cabbage juice daily experience significant symptom relief within one hour.

Detox and beauty (anti-acne)

The high fiber content in cabbage promotes gastrointestinal motility, helping to eliminate waste and toxins from the body and maintaining endocrine balance. Cabbage is rich in zinc, which determines skin smoothness and elasticity. Eating more cabbage not only detoxifies and beautifies but also removes acne. Long-term consumption makes skin fair and radiant. Vitamins A, C, E, and carotene in cabbage are all antioxidants – essential tools for skin beauty.

Treating gastric ulcers

Scientists discovered a new vitamin during chemical analysis of Chinese cabbage. Animal experiments showed that this vitamin is effective in treating gastric ulcers. This was the gastric ulcer wonder drug – vitamin U – that became popular in the 1960s.

Cardiovascular protection

Cabbage is rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber, which play an important role in lowering cholesterol and improving vascular elasticity. Cabbage is also one of the vegetables highest in molybdenum. The human body needs 210–460 mg of molybdenum per day; deficiency may lead to endemic cardiomyopathy and vascular disease.

Strengthening bones and muscles

The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in Chinese cabbage is close to that of breast milk. One cup of cabbage juice contains as much calcium as one cup of milk, and it is more easily absorbed. Cabbage is also the champion of zinc content among fruits and vegetables. Zinc promotes calcium absorption and reduces calcium loss and excretion.

Nourishing kidneys and treating hair loss

The zinc content in cabbage ranks first among fruits and vegetables, even higher than in meat. Zinc is essential for adolescent sexual maturation and for maintaining healthy kidney function in adults. Dry, yellow hair and hair loss are mostly caused by weakened kidney function.

For those with habitual dry stools, eating 500g of raw cabbage heart or drinking 300ml of cabbage juice after dinner provides immediate relief for constipation. In addition, drinking 300ml of cabbage juice after meals can relieve gout and effectively prevent and treat hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and high cholesterol, while also helping overweight individuals lose weight without rebound.

Weight loss

Cabbage is a weight-loss vegetable because it is extremely low in calories and does not promote calorie storage. It is also low in sodium, so it does not cause the body to retain excess water, reducing the burden on the heart. Middle-aged, elderly, and obese people can lose weight by eating more Chinese cabbage.